Progressive Minds

Cathie Martin, White House communications official, testified at Scooter Libby's trial that she was uncomfortable with George W. Bush's decision to declassify a national intelligence estimate (NIE) in order to counter critics of the Iraq war.

In July 2003, Dick Cheney told Martin to use information from the NIE to counter those who said the administration manipulated the intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Of course, Bush declassified the NIE for political reasons; he is on record as stating that he declassified the NIE and authorized administration officials to leak it to the press, in order to counter the criticism of former US Ambassador Joe Wilson (Valerie Plame's husband).  Wilson, of course, went to Africa to attempt to ascertain whether Sadaam Hussein's regime had attempted to acquire uranium from Africa.  (As we all know now, they had not).

It's also amazing to see all of these current and former White House officials singing like songbirds now. 

Bush declassification unnerved White House aide

During the trial of Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff Scooter Libby, a CIA Brifer testified that after Valerie Plame's identify was exposed, he warned Cheney and Libby about the dangers of exposing a covert CIA operative.

Specifically, the CIA Briefer said he told Cheney and Libby that Valerie Plame's outing could lead to the deaths of people who worked on behalf of American intelligence aboard.  As well, he warned them that "Foreign intelligence services where she served now have the opportunity to investigate everyone whom she had come in contact with. They could be arrested, tortured, or killed."

CIA Staffer Says He Warned Cheney, Libby of Leak's Danger